The invention relates to a closure device for a container, as for example a travelling case or a tool case, comprising a locking means for the releasable mutual locking of the two container parts when the container is closed, said locking means having first locking instrumentalities for the first container part and second locking instrumentalities for the second container part, the first locking instrumentalities including at least one actuating member able to be switched over between an open position and a closed position, said actuating member being kinematically coupled with at least one engagement member of the first locking instrumentalities, which in the open position of the actuating member can assume released position out of locking engagement with a second engagement member of the second locking instrumentalities and in the closed position of the actuating member can assume a locking position in locking engagement with the second engagement member.
Furthermore, the invention relates to a container fitted with such a closure device.
Such a closure device with an associated container is disclosed in the German patent publication 3,142,588 C2 and the German patent publication 3,153,422 C2. In this case a container is provided, which has two moving container parts able to be to be moved relatively toward one another and which when the container is closed are superposed. The closed container can be releaseably locked, for which purpose a locking means is provided, which has first and second locking instrumentalities arranged on the two container parts and which may be brought into engagement with each other.
The first locking instrumentalities provided on the first container part possess two pivotally mounted, hooked first engagement members resiliently urged into a locking position. On closing the container second engagement members provided on the second container part snap into the first engagement members. For opening the container a slide is operated diverting the first engagement members against the resilient force into a released position so that the second engagement members may be lifted or drawn out for opening the container.
Since in the case of the known closure device the locking action is only ensured by the resilient effect due to the pivotal first engagement members, damage to such resilient means can lead to an unintended opening of the container.
An analogous structure with similar problems is to be found in the case of the designs of closure devices disclosed in the European patent publication 0 017 539 A1, the European patent publication 0 006 645 B1, the German patent publication 2,166,699 A1 and the European patent publication 0 018 106 A1.
One object of the invention is to provide a closure device for a container which is reliable in its function.
A further object of the invention to suggest a container provided with such a closure device.
In order to achieve these and/or other objects appearing from the present specification, claims and drawings, in the present invention in the case of a closure device of the type initially mentioned the second locking instrumentalities comprise at least one obstructing member extending, when the locking instrumentalities are united together, into the path of displacement of an abutment part constituted directly by the actuating member or kinematically coupled with same and holds the actuating member in the closed position and an opening mechanism is provided by means of which the obstruction of the actuating member may be overridden and the actuating member may be switched over back into the open position.
The object is furthermore achieved by a container fitted such a closure device.
Accordingly the locking position of the at least one engagement member is secured mechanically in its locking position, such engagement member belonging to the first locking instrumentalities, such mechanical securing action being achieved by an obstructing member belonging to the second locking instrumentalities. This means that there is an automatic obstruction in the locking position when the locking instrumentalities are united, that is to say when the container is closed, and an accidental switching back out of the closed position into the released position is prevented when container is in its closed state. In the obstructed position the obstructing member cooperates with an abutment part, which is either formed directly by the actuating member cooperating with the engagement member or is in the form of a separate component which is however kinematically coupled with the actuating member. For opening the closed and accordingly secured container an opening mechanism is provided, with which the obstructing action of the actuating member can be overridden and by means of which it is possible to ensure that the actuating member associated with the abutment part may be switched back into the open position so that the associated first engagement member is also moved out of the locking position, so far assumed, into the released position.
Further advantageous developments of the invention are defined in the claims.
The opening mechanism preferably comprises an adjustable opener which possesses a ramp or deflecting face by means of which such an action may be exerted on the abutment part that same undergoes deflection in relation to the obstructing member and accordingly is able to move past the obstructing member to the side so that the actuating member is now able to switch over into the open position. The deflecting face may for example be an oblique face, which on increasing displacement of the opener with little force causes a gradual deflection of the abutment part. Preferably, the abutment part is biased by spring means into a non-deflected position so that it may automatically return to this position when it is not held in the deflected position actively.
It would in principle also be possible to provide spring means, which after the obstructing action has ceased automatically move the actuating member into the open position and accordingly move the first engagement member, which is kinematically coupled with the actuating member, into the released position. However, for the purpose of obtaining a particularly high degree of operational reliability it is preferred to provide the opener additionally with an impingement or strike face using which, on manually produced movement of the opener can ensure an active impingement of the deflected abutment part in such a manner that same is actively or positively moved past the obstructing member. The adjustable opener accordingly ensures not only the deflection of the actuating member but also the switching over into the open position.
The at least one obstructing member is preferably lug-like in design and so arranged that it projects past the first locking instrumentalities.
In the case of a further advantageous design there is a provision such that, on the side facing the second locking instrumentalities, the first locking instrumentalities possess a terminal face defined for instance by the outer face of a bar of constant cross section, which terminal face covers over the locking mechanism and behind which the at least one first engagement member is set back in the released position, each first engagement member being provided with a recess in the terminal face for it, through which it can extend on assuming the locking position. It is in this manner that it is possible to ensure that the first engagement member does not project in an interfering fashion when in the released setting thereof, but is lowered into a protected position which even in the case of a hooked design will prevent injury to the person using the container fitted with the closure device.
Preferably, at least the released position of the at least one first engagement member is held by spring means and preferably by means of a resilient action on the actuating member kinematically_coupled with the engagement member. More particularly in this connection it is particularly advantageous, if the at least one locking member has a double function and also assumes the function of an actuating member, which on closing the container acts on the abutment part located in the open position and switches it over into the closed position, where, owing to the obstructing action, it prevents accidental switching back of the abutment part.
It is also possible to provide spring means, which cause a resilient holding of the actuating member in the closed position, a design being particularly preferred, in the case of which spring means causing a bistable holding action are present and which are able to hold both the open position and also the closed position and which on actuation render possible a transition between these positions with a snap or detent action.
One advantage of the closure device is furthermore that the at least one obstructing member and the at least one second engagement member may be designed as independent components of the second locking instrumentalities so that the corresponding components may be designed specifically as regards the individually performed functions.
There is the possibility of fitting the first locking instrumentalities of the closure device with only one actuating member and the associated first engagement member. This design is particularly preferred in the case of small containers. More particularly in the case of large containers it is however appropriate to lock the parts of the closed container at several separate points and in such cases it is convenient to provide a plurality of locking units each comprising at least one actuating member and at least one first engagement member, which functionally are more particularly so ganged together that they operate synchronously, something which may for example be ensured if all locking units possess a common opening mechanism.
There is the possibility of connecting a plurality of locking units together in series directly, the opening mechanism only being provided for one actuating member and the next coupled actuating member being activated by the movement of the first actuating member.
There is moreover the possibility of placing two locking units side by side and of arranging the opening mechanism centrally in the region between them so that it can simultaneously cooperate with the two locking units.
If there are several locking units, there is the possibility of having a symmetrical arrangement with an equal length of the actuating members and also the possibility of having an asymmetrical arrangement with actuating members of different length. The latter arrangement leads to a particularly flexible adaptation to different container dimensions.
Although in principle it would be possible to design the at least one actuating member in the form of a plain slide, specific advantages are to be had with a design, in which the actuating member is designed in the form of a pivotally mounted lever, whose first lever arm cooperates with a first engagement element and whose second lever arm is provided with an abutment part. The switching over motion of the actuating member is in this case a sort of rocking movement, something which offers the advantage that, unlike the case of a sliding movement, the overall length of the first locking instrumentalities may be made relatively small so that closure device only requires a small amount of space. Furthermore, it is possible to do without complicated sliding bearing means, since it is possible to have recourse to a pivot bearing which is simpler to design.
If two locking units are provided, whose actuating members are each designed on the basis of the pivoting lever as described, it is preferred to provide a kinematic coupling so that between the two second lever arms, which are adjacent to one another, of the actuating members coupling means simultaneously acting on such two second lever arms are provided, which during the synchronous switching over movement of the actuating members perform a translatory movement in the plane of pivoting. These coupling means may constitute an abutment part associated with both actuating member alike, such abutment part being able to cooperate with an obstructing member so that using only one obstructing member both actuating members can be locked in the closed position.
Alternatively or additionally it is possible for the coupling means to also comprise spring means, which are in between and bear against the two second lever arms and accordingly simultaneously bias the actuating member respectively into the open position or into the closed position.
For the activation thereof the opening mechanism preferably comprises a manually operated opener, which for example may be in the form of a thrust member or of a rotary part with an eccentric. In the case of a particularly preferred simple but functionally reliable modification the opener is designed like a slide and for acting on the abutment part is able to be shifted in a working plane, which coincides with the pivot plane of the actuating member or extend in parallelism thereto.
In order to prevent unauthorized access to a container fitted with a closure device the container may comprise a catch means including a number lock. The lock will then preferably cooperate with the opening mechanism, for example in such a manner that it prevents the actuation of a moving opener of the opening mechanism.